


To be Horatius

by Lux Remanet (orphan_account)



Series: Lights in the sky [5]
Category: Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Smut, Starcrossed Lovers, angsty sex, lightis, written pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-01
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-03-04 07:05:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2956862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Lux%20Remanet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Centuries ago, Etro's knight stood on the precipice of victory, her sword at the viper Bhunivelze's throat.<br/>At the last moment He saw into her deepest desires and offered to bring back her sister.<br/>The temptation too great to resist, a bargain was struck, and humanity's fate was doomed to destruction.<br/>But the serpent did not uphold his end of the deal, and upon realizing his treachery she sealed him inside herself.<br/>In the center of the impenetrable Nova Chrysalia she waits for her successor to finish the job.</p><p>AU. Remixes FNC and l'Cie mythology to a point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written before FFXV's release because it's been 84 years.  
> Smut in the second chapter. The first is a series of drabbles to paint the scene.

**I.**

He hadn’t been expecting her to be unarmed. 

Awake, yes, for she was blessed with preternatural senses, but most certainly not unaccompanied by her eidolon Odin.  And still it was  _he_  who had been caught off guard.  The corners of her lips curled in a wry smile, almost as if she could hear his heart pounding wildly in his chest…

…and the suggestive thoughts in his head. 

With reddened ears he was at her side in an instant; his sharp blade pressed against the delicate skin of her neck.  This was  _his_  moment of victory; he would not be laughed at. 

 

 

 

 

**II.**

 

“If I wanted, your highness” began the woman, “I could have ended your life before you even stepped foot on this balcony. The lives of your army, too.  Maybe even before any of you morons woke up this morning.”

 “Is that a threat?” he hissed, despising the way his hands were shaking, and pressing the blade harder against her throat.  L’Cie were powerful, but definitely not immortal.  The reputation of the ancient blade in his hand was proof. 

“It’s a  _fact_.  But that isn’t why I haven’t offered you any resistance…so far.”

Noctis waited.

“I want to make a deal.”

 

 

 

 

**III.**

 

_A deal._

Noctis could not help but smile a little at the l’Cie’s audacity.  As frightening as her words were, he still had the upper hand.  Nova Chrysalia was surrounded; its l’Cie secured.   _One false move—_

 _“_ The crystal and I are linked.  Killing me will trigger its destruction…and life as you know it.”

The cold declaration made every cell in his being freeze.

“Sounds a little counterintuitive, given your occupation,” Noctis remarked finally, eyes narrowing. 

“Risk is in the job description.  Something a  _king_  is familiar with, perhaps?”

 _“Awaiting_   _your go-sign Team Leader_ ,” Gladiolus’ voice piped up in his ear. 

 

 

 

 

**IV.**

 

Cursing under his breath, he released her.  “Hold your positions,” he told Gladiolus while she went over to the balcony railing and gazed out at the sleeping city. He switched off his mic and crossed his arms, trying not to let his gaze drift downward. 

“What do you want?”  

“Same as you,” she answered.  “The continued existence of my people.”

“You have my word—”

“Your word means nothing if my people are going to be treated as second-class citizens.”  She threw a look of disgust over her shoulder.  “I know about  _Pulse_.”

“ _Equals_ , then,” Noctis snarled, ignoring the accusation.

 

 

 

 

**V.**

 

“Equals,” her tone was scornful as she said it.  “Can we really expect that when after all these years of peaceful non-belligerence, our closest  _neighbor_  steals into our house in the dead of night and tries to kill us?”

“Time is of the essence Team Leader,” said Ignis. “Has the l’Cie been secured or not?”

“Has she?” challenged the l’Cie. She touched the brand in the centre of her chest and it began to glow, pulsating faster and faster-

“Stop!”

Noctis hung his head.  Touching his earpiece he radioed in the command. 

“ _Equals_ ,” the l’Cie reminded.

He nodded, defeated. “Equals.”

 

 

 

 

**VI.**

 

Behind locked doors, silence dominated the office of King Caelum while his inner circle processed the news.  Stella was the first to speak, violet eyes probing his for a sign of hope. 

“Is there no other alternative you can offer?” 

“None that guarantees the safety of Lucis.”

Gladiolus punched the wall in frustration. 

“I knew this was a bad idea,” Ignis muttered.  “If you all would’ve listened—”

“Ignis _—_ ” Gladiolus warned. 

“I’m  _just_ —”

 “On the plus side,” Prompto interrupted with a chuckle. “He’s one lucky son of a bitch.”

“We’ll see about that,” Noctis muttered under his breath.

 

 

 

 

**VII.**

 

She didn’t turn as the doors of the parlour room quietly bowed him in; more interested in observing his kingdom from the bay windows where she was seated.

“You know, if you had asked nicely…” she began. 

Noctis laughed in spite of himself. 

She held out her hand.  In her palm the crystal of Nova Chrysalia glowed and pulsed, like a tiny glass heart.

“May I?”

She nodded.

He held it up to the light and stared, mesmerized.  “It’s beautiful.”

The l’Cie snorted. “You won’t think so once he’s done with you.”

Noctis frowned at her.  “ _He?”_

“ _Bhunivelze_ ,” she answered, grim.  

 

 

 

 

**VIII.**

 

“Well,” Regis said, finally breaking the silence “better you than Cor, I suppose.”

Noctis nodded mutely, staring at the koi dancing about in the pond in front of them.  He’d have been in bigger trouble if it had been the case. 

“The name she gave you…are you  _sure_ you heard right?”

“Bad news?”

“ _The_   _worst news_ ,” Regis corrected.  “Bhunivelze is the anti-thesis of Etro herself.  Of course, you might’ve known that if you’d done your homework.” He shook his head.  “To think that my own son, the  _King_  of  _Lucis_ —”

Noctis groaned.  “ _Dad_ —”

“—married to a  _heretic_!”

 

 

 

 

 

**IX.**

 

They walked with their elbows interlocked through the palace gardens: he with the tiniest blush on his cheeks and she with her chin held up high.  Every so often she’d nod her head imperceptibly, and he stop them long enough to kiss her, sending the paparazzi outside in a feeding frenzy.  The moment they stepped inside the maze, he quickly put distance between them.   

“Do we  _really_  have to do this?”

“If you want to make the alliance as smooth and  _believable_  as possible—yes,” she answered, leading them outside again.  “Plus your kissing skills could use some work.”

“Asshole.”

 

 

 

 

 

**X.**

 

“We had a deal,” Noctis reminded her.  The l’Cie’s gaze remained fixated on the city lights below.

“I know,” she said.  “But the crystal would—”

“I _know_ what the crystal is capable of: you’ve only mentioned it a hundred times,” Noctis cut in, exasperated, “but if _you_ could handle it all these years—”

“ _Handle_ it?” she repeated scornfully.

Hands clenched at his sides, he glared, resolute.  “Whatever happens, it’s my decision.”

She was silent for a long while.  Then she turned and strode over, covering his heart with her palm. 

“Remember that you said that Caelum,” she muttered.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

 

 

 

 

>  
> 
> _We'll run where lights won't chase us_  
>  _Hide where love can save us_  
>  _I will never let you go_
> 
> _  
> _ \- Matthew Korma, Zedd, _Spectrum_
> 
>  

* * *

 

Lightning was padding barefoot down the dimly lit hallways of the Lucis palace in her nightgown like a thief in the night, quickly and with purpose; pausing every few seconds or so to hide from the secret service agents on patrol.  Not that noise would have mattered during the thunderstorm currently raging outside, but it had always been in her nature to err on the side of caution.  Such a habit had helped her keep Nova Chrysalia safe, after all.  Pressed up against the wall she paused, waiting for the agent pacing outside the library to turn his back.  Her destination lay just ahead. 

Her covertness would have seemed a strange waste of energy given this was as much her house as it was his (and no doubt the Lucis Secret Service were no strangers to night games on the third floor) but months of not receiving a straight answer had driven her to it.  Despite living under the same roof as him, Caelum was one of the cagiest people she’d ever met.  _Despite the fact_ that she was the only person alive who could possibly help him. 

_Well, no longer._

The agent turned his back.  

Lightning held her breath and darted across, willing the rumbling thunder to never end.  

The sentry let out a yawn and started back for the intersecting hallway, finding it exactly as he had left it: empty. 

 

###

 

Inside the throne room she stretched out of the feline-like crouch her body had adapted since leaving her quarters, but the grim set of her mouth remained firmly in place.  Despite being coerced into this sham of a marriage he’d given her everything—“just ask”, he’d said.  All he’d ever wanted in return was that she stayed away from this place.  She found the button concealed beneath the throne’s armrest and pressed it. 

The back wall slid open with a hiss, revealing the (not very well) hidden elevator.  The sounds of clashing steel and gunfire that had been muffled during the journey here were now as clear as day.  As she stepped in and began her descent, she wondered if he resented her for that night.  It hadn’t gone as he’d planned, _for one thing_.  He’d thought he was inheriting the crystal’s power.  What he’d gotten instead, as always was the case for Bhunivelze, was death.  The doors of the elevator re-opened and she started for the large double doors at the end of the narrow hallway.  She pushed past them and stepped into the fray, finding him on all fours, out of breath and bleeding while the Odin summon stared down at him.  Sensing the threat, Odin materialized in front of her, brandishing a bloody sword.  Lightning felt an unexpected twinge of nostalgia as she stared into the creature’s eyes.

_You and I once stood on the same side of the battlefield, once upon a time._

Odin’s eyes only narrowed.  _Tyrving_ swung in a deadly horizontal arc, aiming for her head—

“ _Dimittere,_ _”_ the banishing command came out on a growl.  The blade dissipated into dust just millimetres from her pulse, but the momentum from the swing carried on, causing tiny crystal remnants to brush softly against her skin.  Lightning stared, impressed.  All knowledge of such high-level spells had been lost to humanity, erased by the very entity that dwelled inside her, because they were a threat to its existence.  And casting such spells, required _precision_ , and more importantly _control_ ; the latter which she found exceptionally difficult to believe given the state he was in. 

“When did you learn that?” she wondered aloud.  It wasn’t the ability of his ‘ _teacher_ _’_ that struck her, but the knowledge that they’d only been stuck with each other for a little over ten months.  He really was different from the others.

He leaned to his side and spat out blood.  “You knew, didn’t you.”

She knew where this was going, but did not hesitate.  They had avoided this conversation long enough.  “Yes.”

Slowly he stood and turned, eyes meeting hers, and they weren’t the friendly dark blue she was used to, but a deep, angry crimson. “You knew that I’d die," he accused.

“Yes.”  His hands clenched into fists at her answer, and crystal dust began to materialize and oscillate all around him.  Lightning took a step forward.  There was so much that needed to be explained.  So much that he needed to understand before she could let him judge her.  "Caelum-"

“Did you know that I’d come back?” His voice was barely above a whisper as he asked it, but the words pierced her right through nonetheless.

She held her arm, unable to look at him. “The possibility was slim.  So many others _hadn_ _’t_ in the past—”

"Yes or no, Light.”

A beat of silence.  And then,

“Yes.”

The crystal remnants froze suspended in the air, for a deadly, terrifying moment.  Lightning would have given anything right then to change her answer. The devastation on his face spoke volumes of her betrayal.

"Noct -"

Hearing his nickname being uttered like that had been the last straw.  All at once that built up energy was unleashed.  An array of swords, lances, spears and daggers came hurtling at her at breakneck speed, aiming to impale her to the wall behind her.

 It would have been so easy to summon Ultima to defend herself or roll out of the way.  Lightning closed her eyes instead; welcoming it, revelling in the screams of Bhunivelze that raged in her head.  This was what she had been waiting for, what she had craved after all those centuries of insanity:   freedom.  Freedom in the form of death and the silence that accompanied it.   Freedom that only Etro’s chosen could give her.  Freedom that-

… _is perhaps for another time_ , Lightning thought, opening her eyes again.  The blades had disappeared, and all that could be seen was Noctis standing there with his arm outstretched toward her, looking absolutely horrified. Blood trickled out of his nostrils and dripped down from his chin from the overexertion of his power.  He materialized in front of her and quickly began checking for any sign of harm.

“I-I didn’t mean—fuck i-it was an acci--why didn't you m....” and then it dawned.  He released her hand and sank to his knees, hit hard by the revelation. “You… _wanted_ me to…?” he whispered.  Lightning said nothing, not trusting her voice.

Fatigue finally catching up with him, he collapsed onto his side, unconscious. 

 

###

 

Three days later when he finally awoke, she was at his bedside changing the bandages on his shoulder. 

“You should’ve used _Cura_ ,” he rasped, and when he moved, Lightning had thought he intended to push her away, but all he did was sit up; so as to make the task easier for her.  _Weird,_ she thought, continuing to busy herself.  _Then again_ , she mused, _that word_ is _how most people tend to describe him._

“You should’ve killed me,” she said without thinking. 

 _That_ was when he shoved her off.  “That’s not funny,” he snapped, glaring at her.  Of its own accord, the wound began to heal and she watched as the stitches she'd made fall away from his skin, no longer needed. Caelum didn't even seem aware of it; probably assumed it was a benefit of training so hard.   _So he's that far along_ , she realized. It would only be a matter of time now, until the Goddess decided to take over .

Lightning stood, not eager to argue this early in the morning.  She had wanted to talk him through the task that needed to be done, but it was clear he was not in the mood to see reason.  At least, not right now.  “I’ll have someone make you something to eat.”

“ _No_.”

His hand shot out and caught her by the wrist and she froze, completely taken by surprise.  From the moment they’d said their vows at the altar he’d never made her do anything she didn’t want to do, despite having the power to.  Always the choice had been left to her.  What had changed?

“I need to know _why_.  The truth, Light."

"It's not going to make your job any easier."

That hit a nerve.

"I'm sorry: which part of this 'job' was meant to be easy?" he demanded sarcastically, grip tightening, eyebrows knit together.  “Because I’m curious: is it the dying part or the coming back to life part?”

"Noct—"

"No wait _I_ know,” he snarled “the _killing my own friend_ , part.  That's gotta be a _real_ piece of fucking—"

Lightning wrenched her arm away and shoved him back—hard. She stepped forward and prodded the brand on his chest. The moment she did, it glowed to life.  Against his will, crystal began to materialize in the air, responding to Bhunivelze’s energy.

"You're still going to do it," she told him in a deadly whisper.  

"Stop it." He tried to push her off, but lacked enough energy and conviction behind the action. Lightning pressed her whole palm against his skin, and the brand began to burn white-hot against her skin. 

"You're going to do it regardless of whether you want to or not,” she insisted.  He needed to stop kidding himself, and he needed to _now_. “I _know_ what it's like. The urge to kill...the urge to 'protect'…they’re one and the same.  You hear Her voice rationalizing, trying to make you feel less guilty. You hear Her whisper to you when you wake up in the morning; before you sleep at night—if you can really call it sleeping." She took his hand and placed it on her throat.  "The power calls to you, doesn't it?  Every time you're around me you think of nothing else; an itch that needs to be scratched.  You’re going to succumb to the temptation sooner or later."

"No I won’t," he growled, jerking his hand back. “I can control it.”

 _Why do you have to be so stubborn!_ Lightning wanted to scream.  "Control _isn't_ training to the point of exhaustion so you're too tired to do anything _else,"_ she snapped. "All you're doing is delaying the inevitable. Odin's not going to sit passably forever.  I thought I was in control too. And then I blinked. That's all it takes: an instant."  _And Serah had paid dearly for it_ , she thought, feeling the memory begin to pull her backward into oblivion.

"You're wrong," Noctis muttered, staring into his lap.

"I’m not and you _know_ it and you need to _accept_ it. Bhunivelze is the anti-thesis of life itself. If you don’t kill me he _will_ awaken.  And when that happens..." Lightning stared at her hands, seeing nothing but blood. "I've never asked anything of you and I never will save this one request.”

“There has to be another way—”

“I'm _tired_ , Noctis." _So tired..._ “All I want—”

She was startled when his hand covered hers, and looked up.  His eyes were red but they held none of the bloodlust she had caught glimpses of when they passed each other in the corridors. They were warm, compassionate.  Something she hadn’t realized she’d missed after all those years of quiet isolation.

"I barely sleep these days,” he admitted with a nod.  “And you’re right: I can't even be in the same room as you without wanting to... _Gods_ this is so fucked up…" He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a moment to calm himself.  They remained closed as he continued, “The urge to kill is there, yes, but there are other things I try think about that…I don’t know, ‘help’ me get through every second of every day, I guess.  And I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to realize that _you_ haven’t noticed, _at all_ : how _contradictory_ you are.”

Lightning felt her stomach lurch at the word. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Light, you need to know that I _understand_ where _you_ _’re_ coming from.  Even without Etro showing me what you did all those years ago I could have figured that out on my own.  _I get it_. Thing is; I don’t think you understand where _I_ _’m_ coming from…” he squeezed her hand “ _why_ I’m so angry, and sad, and fucking _disappointed,_ _all the time_.  _Why_ I’m always training.  _Why_ some days I can barely manage a conversation with you let alone look you in the eye.   
It’s because I _know_ , Light.  I know your secret.”

“ _No you don_ _’t_ ,” Lightning hissed, immediately on the defensive.  She could feel tears pooling at the corners of her eyes and despised herself for showing such _weakness.  I am not weak!_ “You don’t understand a goddamned thing!  Don’t fucking _sit there_ and try to lecture me on—” 

“You want to live when this is all over, don’t you?” he whispered. 

Outrage finally boiling over, Lightning shoved him off, bolting for the door.  Her hands latched onto the knob, fighting to free the lock, jerking, pulling.  

 _I don_ _’t._

She banged her fist against the wood. 

 _I don_ _’t!_ "Let me out."

“It’s not the only thing you want, is it,” Noctis said from right behind her.  "You want me."

The declaration froze her right where she stood. 

“You’re _insane_ ,” she spat, wrestling harder with the door.  She felt his hands settle on her shoulders. “ _Don_ _’t touch me._ _”_

She whirled around and tried to hit him, but he was ready for it and grabbed her wrist, flipping her hand around so that her rigid, curled fingertips faced him.  Eyes locked with hers he gently kissed them, before pressing them against his heart. 

Lightning stared at him, completely caught off guard.  The gesture was simple, the message even easier to understand, but was still difficult to swallow.  How could he?   _Why_ would he?  He made no sense at all.  She pushed him away, feeling her resolve begin to weaken.  Hope was dangerous.

“No,” she shook her head.  _Not again._ “No you _don_ _’t_.  You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I do.” He tried to kiss her.  She jerked her head to the side but he caught her chin, bringing her back to centre.  He leaned forward.  Warm breath ghosted over her lips, and she swallowed nervously, seeing the desire in those crimson eyes clear as day, and feeling a corresponding flash of heat and _need_ in her stomach. 

 _Just a taste,_ those eyes seemed to say _._ And seeing him there in only a pair of trousers, lean muscle out on display; _Gods_ , was she _tempted_. 

“It’s alright to be selfish, Light,” she heard him say, hands settling on her arms and sliding slowly upward.   Lightning shivered, resolve crumbling. 

 _I_ _can_ _’t_ _…_

“You’re the only one I know who deserves to be.”  His lips closed the gap between them, once and for all. 

If she were in her right mind, she would have backed away from him.  She would have kneed him in the groin… _if_ she were in her right mind _._

Noctis’ kisses were like Bhunivelze’s power: dizzying, demanding, addictive.   Stripping her of her inhibitions.  Hammering against her walls relentlessly until they crashed down all around her; until she found herself kissing him back frantically with her hands knotted in his hair like she couldn’t get close enough.  She needed this.  Had missed this: the contact, the intimacy.  It had been so long…

He moaned with approval and pressed his body against hers.  The hard hot length of his arousal pushed into her belly through his trousers and he rubbed himself against her, pumping sinuously: a promise of the release he could give her, the release she craved, _needed_ —even if it would only be temporary.  Her hand slid between them and found his erection.

“Yes…” he kissed her desperately, grinding against her touch, tongue in her mouth. His hands went to the straps of her nightgown and they slid slowly downward. “Let go…”

She led him to the bed roughly, forcing him back on the mattress before tugging at his trousers.  Helping her by kicking free of them he fell onto the messy covers, arms and legs splayed out as if he were giving himself to her completely—no reservations, no restrictions.

And then it all went downhill.  He looked up at her and smiled that shy, disarming smile that she both loved and despised.  It tore at her insides, clearing her head instantly.  This was wrong.  This wasn’t…she couldn’t bring herself to even _think_ the ‘word’.  Whatever this was, it couldn’t be _that_. If she really cared about him she wouldn’t be using him like this.  To think she hadn't been able to sink any lower after striking that bargain with that damned serpent—

“What’s wrong?” Dark blue eyes were filled with concern.

He was too good for her, too pure. _The knight of Etro,_ for goodness sake!  How could she consciously drag him down to her level? And him, how could he _willingly_ offer himself to her?  It was heresy! 

She shook her head, but he cut her off. “I want you.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“I’m pretty sure I do.” He rested an arm behind his head and eyed her brazenly from top to bottom.  “Five foot seven, self-sacrificing to a fault, blunt as a hammer, _longest_ legs in the world…”

Lightning didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss him or punch him in the face.  He was ridiculous.  This was ridiculous.  “Etro…”

“Etro’s _not_ five-seven,” he told her, like he was an authority on the matter.  “Plus she likes riddles a little _too_ much,” he added with a shudder.

“Odin and the others…if you go through with this…”

“Screw ‘em.  Don’t even think they like me that much, to be honest.”

Crazed with lust and frustration, underwear discarded to another corner of the room, Lightning yanked her nightgown up around her hips and straddled him.  But once she was on top, she hesitated.  Was she really going to do this?  Take him and damn them both? 

She started to move away.

“No.” Noctis’ legs shot up under her, toppling her onto his chest.  As she fell on him, his arms wrapped around her.

“I know what you want,” he said into her ear. “And I’m giving it to you— _willingly_.  I’ll take all the blame if I have to."

Lightning closed her eyes and reaching between his thighs, she held him up and sat on him hard.  An unexpected gasp ripped from her lips.  After spending what had to be an eternity without such contact he felt tremendous, stretching her so much she thought she might tear.  She breathed deeply and didn’t move, trying to allow herself time to adjust.

“It’s been a long…while for you, hasn’t it,” Noctis groaned.  His lips parted, letting out laborious pants, as if struggling not to fall over the edge so soon.  His hands squeezed her knees like they were an anchor to whatever sanity he had left.  "Take your time, "he told her. And then he smirked as if somehow realizing the humor behind that sentence.

“Shut up,” Lightning murmured, sliding her hands over his chest, mapping out scar and sinew alike, committing it to memory.

He let out a strained laugh and gripped her nightgown, sliding it up and over her head, before tossing it aside, leaving her exposed. His hands went to her breasts, kneading roughly.  “Better make up for lost time, then.”

Fuck it.  She planted her hands on his shoulders and pulled up from him.  The friction was electric, and the hot burst of pleasure she felt helped her accept him more easily.  With his hands on her hips to guide her she slid down on his erection and came forward, repeating the motions over and over again, her folds growing increasingly slick as she found her rhythm.  With increasing dominance she rode him, moaning shamelessly, taking what she wanted, revelling in the thickness and the heat and the length of him.  She opened her eyes and looked down. 

Chin high and lips parted, he was watching her through lowered lids, eyes lingering on her face and breasts and where they were joined. 

“God you’re beautiful,” he breathed. 

She squeezed her eyes closed and pushed that damned adoration he had for her out of her mind.  If she didn't she would lose touch with the orgasm she was so close to because his selflessness tore at her heartstrings, making her want to weep.  She didn’t deserve such kindness. 

It didn’t take long for her to reach release.  It swept through her like a tidal wave, stealing the very breath from her body until she collapsed on him, replete but strangely empty.

As her breathing slowed, and she came down from that high, she became aware that he was stroking her back gently, whispering soothing words to her.  Like all of it had been _his_ fault.

Shame washed over her then, manifesting in tears that stung her eyes.  “I’m sorry, Noct. I’m so…sorry…”

She moved to get off his hips and realized he was still thick inside of her.  He hadn’t even finished. 

Gods Caelum _was_ right: she really was selfish.

His hands clamped on her thighs, as if reading her mind.  “I don’t regret anything.  Don’t you _dare_ think that I do because I _don_ _’t._ ”

She couldn’t meet his eyes.  “I took advantage of you… _violated_ you…and gods, Etro’s knight himself—”

“I was _willing_.” He took her wrists and pulled her back to him. As their lips met, his arms locked around her, holding her close.  The change in position made her acutely aware that he was ‘ _close_ _’_ , so thick and hard that she could feel the involuntary twitches of his arousal.

He rocked his hips gently against her.  “I’ve always wanted you.  From the night I first saw you, and the moment you threatened to destroy me.  Dad’s never let me hear the end of it.  ‘You really know how to pick ‘em, Noct’,” he chuckled.  “Guess I’m a magnet for things beautiful and dangerous.”

His hips moved up and down, pulling out, sliding in. She felt herself melt, felt herself open to him.  Felt herself return his kiss with the ardency he deserved. Heaven seemed infinite. It terrified and excited her at the same time.

She let him roll her over. He kissed her tenderly, stroking her mouth with his while he whispered to her about how much he loved her, about how little he cared for anything else; over and over again . Like she was the world to him.  But then he slid all the way out of her.

“I won’t finish this if you don’t want me to,” he whispered into her neck, slender fingers finding her clit and slowly pumping her towards ecstasy.  Her lips parted, letting out harsh pants as he fondled her breast.  Her heels dug into the mattress while she moved against his hand, desperate to the point of madness. 

Higher and higher she felt herself climb. But she didn’t want to reach the summit alone. The feeling had been empty without him.  She pulled him  to her and kissed him, sliding a hand in between.

“I want _you_ ,” she declared against his mouth, guiding him back inside her.  Groaning into the kiss he shifted onto his elbows and thrust deeply.  She arched up to the pleasure, letting the heat flow throughout her body. Teeth gritted together he let out a hiss as he strained above her, their bodies moving together in a steady rhythm.

“Took….you…long…enough,” he teased, punctuating the words with hard strokes.  She called out his name when she finally climaxed, and she felt him go over the edge with her, his body shuddering into hers, his release as powerful as his thrusts had been.

When the aftershocks had ended, he rolled them over so that they were on their sides.  He gathered her so close she heard his heart beating wildly in his chest.

“I’m going to save her, You hear me?” he whispered a few minutes later, when he thought she was asleep.  “Even if You won't. However impossible it may be, however long it takes.”

 

###

 

It was nearly dawn when she awoke hours later, her arm resting on the empty space she’d found when she turned on her back.  A sudden tremor shook the entire palace, shaking dust from the ceiling. She opened her eyes, listening. Gunfire interspersed with hellfire (Ifrit today, it seemed) followed by a litany of curses that deserved praise simply for their creativity.  Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and curled into the dying warmth he had left behind. 

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.


End file.
